52, House majority whip from Texas, grabbed the House floor during the June brouhaha over gun control and violence in the media and blamed popular culture, birth control, and day care — not guns — for the recent spate of school shootings. The conservative's histrionics proved successful; the House defeated modest gun-control legislation. Many Beltway insiders suspect DeLay is calling the shots in the House of Representatives, with Speaker J. Dennis Hastert deferring to him.